I saw the sun!

At least I think that's what it was. You know, big atomic explosion thing in the sky. Fries your eyeballs and fries your skin. Known to cause cancer from too long of exposure.

Not something we have to worry about up here in Latteland lately. Hell, we even made the National News.

It has been raining for days and days. I was in the drivethrough at the local Starbucks when I looked out the window at the lake, er, I mean parking lot, and there was an honest-to-god salmon migrating towards the Fred Meyer.

It does this every year, especially in the Snoqualmie Valley. This brings the migration of Gor-tex clad reporters out of their concrete hovels to stand alongside the dependable flood spots to show the fish going across the road, the cows standing in the field, people wading down what used to be streets, and rowing around their neighborhood in fishing craft. They always act surprised.

I took Mrs A. around for her annual poking and prodding today. She hates driving on the freeway. So do I, but because I am the Male, I am expected to do it anyway. One of the obligations that comes with the equipment.

Who kills the ferocious spiders? The one with the penis. Who tunes up the car? The one with the testicles. Whe unplugs the stopped up toilet? The one with the package.

Oh well, the rewards are worth the hassle.

Got to crawl back under the blankets.

Stay dry!

The good, the bad, and the not-so-atractive

Yesterday was a day of ups and downs.

I was bummed because it was R.s birthday. I don't know where she is living or what she is doing. It was the first time I haven't had something planned, but given that the last time she was around, she threatened Mrs A.s life, I have told her not to come around until she has her head on straight.

She called last night and said she was thinking of coming by, and I had to tell her that it probably wasn't a good idea right now. I told her I would meet her for dinner and drinks, abd she said she would call me back. Of course she didn't.

I did my biggest Christmas shopping yesterday. Mrs. A. said she wanted to go visit her son in Utah Dec. 20th - 24th. So I got on the computer and reserved her flight for her last night. God, I love the Internet.

Back last summer we ponied up some money so her son and family could make the down payment on their first home. With all the money we have given to the girls the last couple of years, her son has gotten the short end of the stick because he takes care of himself and his family.

I can't get the time off, so Mrs A. will be going alone. On one hand I will miss her terribly. But it is only for a couple of days. Just long enough to be really happy when she gets back.

On the other hand it will be nice to batch it for a couple of days, sit around in my underwear, drink milk right out of the carton and leave the toilet seat up ALL the time. Don't tell me I don't know how to have fun.

So I felt like a bad father, a pisspoor husband and an ungratetful beast.

But I did make the reservation round trip, and made sure she was leaving her dog behind.

Books

This was rattling around the Blogosphere lately. I think I stole it from Rick, but maybe Renratt. It's betting pretty bad when you can't remember where you stole something. I'd feel bad if I could remember what it was that I was supposed to feel bad about......

1) One book that changed your life. Walden Pond By Thoreau, The Plague by Albert Camus, The Foundation Trilogy by Asimov. I could go on.

2) One book that you’d read more than once. I have read Walden about a half dozen times, the same for Tolkien’s Lord Of the Rings.

3) One book you’d want on a deserted island. The Bible. You could read it a thousand times and still find something new in it every time. The Collected Works of Shakespear as backup.

4) One book that made you laugh. English Creek by Ivan Doig A coming-of-age story in Montana. Parts of it are hilarious. I really like Ivan Doig's books.

5) One book that made you cry. Trinity by Leon Uris. Story of The Troubles in Ireland.

6) One book you wish you’d written. STAR by myself. I’m a severalthousand words into it but sort of high centered at the moment

7) One book you wish had never been written. Mein Kampf

8) One book you’re currently reading. The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. Love all of their books. I think I have read everything they have published.

9) One book you’ve been meaning to read. Nothing on the horizon at the moment.

Wet Weekend

Poured Rain this weekend. Will pour again tonight. The Raiders are in town for Monday Night Football tonight. It is supposed to rain between 4 and 6 inches today. People all over the States will ge a chance to see the REAL Seattle.

This weekend was my mom's 80th birthday. All of the kids were together for the first time in many many years. We tried to figure out when was the last time we all had been together. We never could come to a consensus, but it was probably some time in the late 70's or early 80's.

There are seven of us kids, three boys and four girls. We are all intelligent, opinionated, outspoken people. Hell, I am one of the quieter ones. I know some people out there find that difficult to believe.

I was counting up, and figured that there were 21 people there at Mom's Birthday party. And that is just immediate family. It was a loud and boisterous group.

Mrs A. had an anxiety attack. She suddenly could not get enough air, and had to get outside. It took her several minutes to get it together. She had been dreading seeing my son and her former friend and their new baby. There is some bad blood there, and having them show up pushed her over the edge. I have had a panic attach before, and it is no fun at all. She is OK and after she calmed down we went back inside and she was able to keep it together.

She felt pretty embarrased afterwords. Oh well, keep it in perspective. I don't love her any less.

So we kept a pretty low profile on Sunday. Went grocery shopping, and I cooked pork tenderloin baked in Cranberry Chutney. It was delicious. Watched some tube, took a nap, went to bed early. I am fighting a cold or something, so I feel pretty drained. Wish I could just curl up under my desk and take a nice long nap.

Bad Trip

No cemical substances cause this. Darkness, rain, and back roads did.

As I said yesterday, we had a appointment with the headshrinker yesterday. It went very well. We got a lot of positive validation and some good advice.

Afterwards we like to go to Redmond Town Center to wander around and get something to eat. We went to the Golden Chopsticks to eat. Good food, very relaxing, good service and a couple of Asahi Super Dry beers had me in a good mood. A little shopping. Got what I needed. Mrs A. wanted to do some recreational shopping but I whined my way out of it. To me shopping is about as recreational as the dentists chair. Mrs A. loves to shop, and just doesn't get how it could be so stressful for me. Someday I am going to drop dead while being dragged around shopping. My headstome will read "I told you I didn't like shopping."

But I manged to get out of any extended shopping. Maybe I would have been better off to have stayed a little longer.

I like to drive back roads. A passenger once remarked that , given a choice I would take four back roads rather than one major road. I don't deny this. For the most part I enjoy driving.

Not last night. There are three main ways to get back to our house from Redmond. I, of course, took the long way around Lake Samamish and down Sunset Hiway. Traffic came to a screeching halt as soon as it was too late to turn around. There had been an accident. So once traffic got screwed up, it never got better.

It was pouring rain like a cow peeing on a flat rock, it was pitch black and all I could do was follow the tail lights in front of me. If the guy in front had driven off the road, I probably would have gone right after him.

I took over two hours to do what normally takes about forty-five minutes. By the time I got home, I was exhausted.

Aside from that It is my Mom's 80th birthday on Saturday. It will be the first time all of us kids will be together in about ten years. I have a couple of sisters that live in Minnesota and we don't see each other very ofter, so it will be nice to have everyone together.

I have been tasked to bring egg rolls for the party. I guess that now that it is getting into the Holiday season, we need to sit down and make another batch, because we are going to be requested to bring them to every potluck and celebration from now to New Years.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Headshrinker

Mrs A, and I are going to the headshrinker todady. I don't mind, and it helps her. She has a hard time sticking to the idea of tough love. She goes into it with the right idea, but then starts second guessing herself.

I can tell her ten thousand times that she is doing the absolute right thing, and I might as well be talking to the dog.

However if a complete stranger came up to her in the street, and told her the exact same thing, she would be quoting them for weeks.

Oh well, if it helps her keep her head together, it's all good.

I worked in the Psychiatric Service in the Army, so there isn't anything new or intimidating for me. I have already been headshrunk by the best.

My boss in the Army was M. Scott Peck, the author of "The Road Less Travelled". In his book, he writes about The Techs. I was one of the Techs. Working with Scott was a very interresting time in my life, and an experience that has stayed with me my entire life. It gave me a perspective on life and behavior that prepared me well for later life.

I like to tell people that being the liaison officer for the locked psychiatric facility was good preparation for management at Boeing.

Random

This was stolen from The Peanut Queen.

13 Random Things You Like:

1) Reading a good book
2) Good conversation with intelligent people.
3) Naps
4) A good steak, like flank, done JUST SO on the BBQ
5) Salsa. I like my home-made the best
6) Love making on a lazy Saturday afternoon
7) A good long hike in the mountains, or at the beach
8) Good live Jazz with dinner
9) The feeling you get when a fish takes your dry fly right in front of your face.
10) Pushing my 1977 Datsun 280 Z right to the edge of losing control, but never losing it.
11) Lying in bed with Mrs. A. listening to the rain on the roof, nice and snug and dry.
12) Beer. As Benjamin Franklin put it “Beer is proof that God loves us.” Amen, Ben.
13) The laughter of a child. It always makes me feel that things are right with the world

12 random movies you like:

1) Lord of the Rings
2) As good as it Gets
3) Romancing the Stone
4) Indiana Jones: The last Crusade
5) Second Hand Lions
6) The Stand
7) Little Big Man
8) The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
9) Batman Returns
10) Citizen Kane
11) Casablanca
12) The African Queen

11 Random things you dislike intensely:

1) Going to the Dentist
2) People who drive like idiots.
3) Anyone who tries to make themselves appear better by degrading those around them
4) DSHS
5) Having to work on the Plumbing
6) Stepping in dog poop.
7) People who abuse animals
8) Freezing cold when I can’t get warm,
9) Rats.
10) Earwigs. Thanks to an episode of Twilight Zone where they dropped one in a guy’s ear.
11) Centipedes. I got bit in the ass by a 12” long centipede when I was on Okinawa and nded up in the hospital.

10 random things about me

1) I am an artist. I have actually sold paintings for money
2) I have had several poems published
3) I like to work on cars, especially sports cars.
4) I love kids. I get along with them very well. Maybe because we have a similar mentality.
5) I married the same woman twice. I also divorced her twice.
6) I like working with my hands.
7) I am a good cook. I love cooking, but I don’t always have the time for it.
8) Mrs. A. and I are roadies for a Christian Rock band.
9) I went to Mexico last summer on a mission to an orphanage.
10) we sponsor a child at the orphanage.

9 random people you last spoke with:

1) The other Al at work. He just had oral surgery last Friday and just came back to work today. We have the same Periodontist.
2) M. the lead guy, comparing salsas. I brought in salsa and chips to work today.
3) Mrs. A. I can’t go out the door in the morning without a goodbye kiss and telling her I love her
4) V. He didn’t get a 90% on his math test because he didn’t read the instructions properly, so he only got 84%.
5) Marty. Hadn’t seen him in a quite a while. Had to give him a ration of crap.
6) CD, one of the most intelligent people I know. A little witty repartee always lightens the load
7) The Lunch Lady. She has a British accent. I always liked the sound of a British accent.
8) L. the shop investigator on second shift. We always BS a little as we pass each other.
9) S. one of the engineers. Comparing notes on last night’s episode of Myth Busters.

8 random favorite foods
1) Steak. I was raised of beef, and I can’t imagine living without it
2) Salsa and Chips, but only some brands. I am REAL fussy.
3) Shrimp. Can’t get enough of them. Shrimp Gumbo I made myself from scratch .
4) Cheesecake. I am diabetic, and I control it very well, but don’t get me near cheesecake
5) Thai food. Three stars, just enough to get you to break out in a light sweat
6) Ice cream. I know, I know, it’s bad, but once in a while?
7) Home made jams. Raspberry, black berry, strawberry
8) Veggies and dip.

7 random favorite comedians

1) The Marx Brothers
2) Laurel and Hardy (This is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into”)
2) Robin Williams. He can be a little off the wall, but what a trip!
3) Bill Cosby
4) George Carlin
5) Johnathan Winters
6) Jeff Foxworthy
7) Reba McIntire

6 random pets you have had
1) Spot the English Water Spaniel (Chow hound)
2) Molly our Shi Tzu
3) Chico the Rottweiler
4) Napoleon the Emperor Scorpion
5) Slither the Trans-Pecos Rat snake
6) Tons of tropical fish

5 random shows you never miss
1)Myth Busters. Never mess a semi-legitimate reason for blowing stuff up
2) Antiques Road Show
3) Monk. Best detective ever.
4) CSI Whatever. Some times they get into some REALLY weird stuff
5) Nature shows on The Discovery Channel

4 random shows you do not watch
1) So-called reality shows. Let me take there jerks out in the woods and I’d have them all calling for their mamas in a matter of hours
2) Dubious talent shows.
3) Anything with Donald Trump. The man is a complete ass.
4) Poker Tournaments. So what if someone I never met and could care less about bluffs someone else I will never meet?

3 random people you would like to meet in person

1) Benjamin Franklin. I’d like to sit down over a couple of brews and talk philosophy.
2) Leonardo Da Vinci. Of course I would need an interpreter,
3) Christ.

2 random famous people you admire

1) Ghandi
2) Bill Gates for his foundations and charity work

1 random person whose brain you would like to pick over dinner

1) Again, Ben Franklin. His width and depth of thought is amazing. And after all, he is the man that said “Beer is proof that God loves us.”

Frost

Reality is a nice place to visit, but I wouldnt want to live there.......

But sometimes reality bitch slaps you in the face, and you just can't ignore it.

The first frost of the year is that way. Although you know that summer is over, you grasp at the last vestiges of sunshine and warmth, cozied up in your denial like a baby with its blankie.

And the next thing you know, you are out there in your winter coat with your gloves on, scraping ice off of the windshield. Gone are the illusions of summerhood. The question on your mind at the moment is "Is that water or black ice on the road?"

This is no daydream B.S. question like you are normally contemplating at this time of morning. We are talking the possibility of injury, mayhem, destruction and maybe a scratch on your car.

Will the overpass be iced over? SHould you take the long way around and avoid the possible mess?

And all this before the morning coffee kicks in.

Oh well, adrenalin has a way of waking you up.

As the old poem has it:

The frost is on the pumpkin

and the fodders in the shock

and your cars in the ditch

or something like that...........

Parent Teacher Conferences

So last night was Parent Teacher Conferences for V.

All of his teachers said basically the same thing. V. is the smartest kid in class, but does barely enough to get by. He should be getting straight As. Blah, blah, blah. No news here.

Except for a new ripple in the stratosphere.

V. has always talked too much in class. Except now he is using words that are not acceptable in an institution of higher learning. Holy Shit! I wonder where that came from.

We have noticed a predeliction to scatology in his vocabulary recently, and have warned him about it. I guess it's time to break out the cuss jar.

Every time someone uses a cuss word, they have to donate a quarter to the cuss jar.

I am already planning the trip to China on the proceeds.

Dangling Conversation

Which is, of course, a song by Simon and Garfunkel.

I was a big fan of Simon and Gatfunkel. "Bridge over Troubled Water" is still and incredible performance. Their words and music fit so well together. I mean, literate lyrics, and soulful sounds, right there together.

R. called last night. I had left her a message to get ahold of me.

I knew that after last weekends grudge death match with Mrs. A. that his would not be an easy conversation, but I don't want to lose touch with her completely.

She started off with a surly "You wanted me to call?"

I explaned that we needed to talk, because things were pretty messed up. We kinda did a little "She said, I said", but when I brought up the fact that she had threatened to kill Mrs. A. she completely denied it!

I told her "I was standing right there when you said 'I will kill you, bitch'. I am not imagining it"

So she told me I was lying, and then left me listening to the sounds of silence.

I wsh she would go get some help.

Bloodwork

I saw in the paper yesterday about the football coach who kicked several of his players off of the team because they were giving blood at a school blood drive when they were supposed to be at practice. What a jerk!

It made me think of this story.

When I was stationed on Okinawa, the members of the Psychatric Service hung out a certain bar, Mama Susies. That wasn't the real name of the bar, but I can't remember the real name.

Mama Susie was a retired madam, and she knew everyone in town. If you wanted some companionship, all you had to do was mention it to Mama Susie, and she would send out word. The Girls had to pass her muster before she would hook you up. She was in her 60s, and she was a real hoot.

We found out that she had a niece that needed gall bladder surgery, but they couldn't afford the blood required for the operation. At that time, blood was going for $600.00 a pint, and they needed six pints.

I checked in with the brass, and the Army would not allow us to go to the Okinawan Hospital to give the blood. We would have to give the blood at the aid station, and then transport it down to Naha.

So I got together five other guys and we went into the aid station and gave blood. We brought along a cooler and ice, and loaded the blood in the cooler.

We went out and waved down a cab. He wanted to know what we had in the cooler. We looked at each other, and without saying a word, flipped open the cooler.

The poor taxi driver's eyes got huge, he got very agitated, and started yelling in Japanese at us. I didn't understand a single word he said except for "#10 GI, #10 GI" as he sped away.

We finally called in an on-base taxi, who took us to the Oknawan Hospital. He kept looking in his rear view mirror very nervously for the whole trip. But we did manage to get the blood taken care of and delivered.

The operation was a complete success.

I could do no wrong at Mama Susies. When I ordered a drink I would get a water glass full of whatever brand I wanted with just a little mixer. I never needed more than one. And she wouldn't take my money.

The only problem was she kept trying to marry me off to her "Nieces".

And there was one........

but that's a different story.

Woke up this morning

and you were on my mind?
and the gypsy woman said?
and you were gone?

Pick a line.

I woke up with a screaming migrane headache, so I chose to take a day of sickleave. If it wasn't for all the other crap going on right now I might have toughed it out, but all my resources and reserves have been used up.

It's a good day to just turn over and pull the covers over my head.

Except that when I got up. I discovered that the computer was hosed. It took me about an hour to get it up and running.

Mostly I just need some peace and quiet, and to be left alone for a while.

Except, of course for you.

Here I Am....

Stuck in the middle with you.....

Who the heck sang that anyway?

Clown's to the left of me.
Jokers to the right
Here I am
Stuck in the middle with you.

Things seem to have drfted back from the edge of the ice and are meerly teetering along on the thin part 0f the ice. I feel like if I make the slightest misjudgement, it will all collapse and I will fall through into the dark and the cold.

I can't walk away amd I can't go forwards or back.

So here I am

Stuck in the middle.

Train Wreck Weekend

Didn't make it to jail with the band this weekend. I was busy overseeing a train wreck right here at home.

I talked to John on Friday night to say that I wasn't going to come up to Kenmore just to drive back down south, but would meet them at Mission Creek. That way I got to sleep in.

Mrs. A. was not going to go, because her dog, Molly is sick. We took her into the Vet on Thursday night, and she is still having problems. Nobody knows what is wrong with her, but she keeps throwing up and has the squirts.

So I slept in, and was just getting ready to leave when R. showed up. She immediately went over to the couch and crashed.

Mrs. A. asked her where was the DVD she "Borrowed" a week earlier, and she said it was still in somebody's car. Mrs. A. got on her case, and one thing led to another and it got out of hand. There were a lot of things said, very loudly, and then it got ugly. Punches were thrown, hair was pulled and lots of shoving and swinging.

I was stuck in the middle of it all, trying to keep them separated. Eventually R. was asssisted in leaving.

I changed all the locks in the house.

When I got up this morning Mrs. A. was packing. She said she was leaving.

She handed me a note that basically said that she had cost me my family, and I would be better off without her.

A whole bunch of tears and talk later, she said she would stay if I asked her to, which I did. And she did.

I am glad I was here Saturday, because who knows where things would have ended up. At one point, I restrained R. from going for the knife rack. It might have ended up with one in the hospital and the other in jail. Or worse.

I'm always stuck in the middle. If R. is not going to clean up her life, it is better if she doesn't come around. I guess I don't have to worry about that for a while.

I fell like I've been run over by a train.

Or maybe two of them.

Goin' t' Jail

Tomorrow I'm going to jail.

No. no, no not like that.

I'm going with Morning Light for a concert to the Women's Correctional Facility at Mission Creek, ouside Belfaire, Wa.

It will be a busy and confusing day, partly because Mrs A will not be accompanying me. Her dog, Molly is ill, and she can't bring her, and she can't leave her home. So Mrs A. will stay home with Molly while I go to prison. Hope she doesn't forget about me.

We have been doing this for a couple of years, but this will be my first time solo. It will be a little uncomfortable without her, but I will do it anyway, because we have made a commitment, and I take that very seriously.

Not a lot of people choose to minister to the incarcerated. It is very uncomfortable when those big doors go CLANG behind you, and there is a whole set of other gates before you.

But this is probably the most appropriate audience in the whole world. About 80% of the people in low security facility facilities are there for drug and alcohol related offences. The Message of the band is that it is possible to have a whole lot of fun without drugs and alcohol.

And of course that you need to find a higher calling in your life.

Although it is backgound, they always sign off with their song "King of Kings" because that is what the message is.

When you lay down tonight, think about your life and ask "What am I doing and where am I going."

Talk to God and maybe you will find the answer within your self.

My weekend will, if nothing else, help to provide a channel that someone might use to get to a different place.

What did you do with your weekend?

Me and My Big Mouth

I mentioned in my post yeasterday that I just might be a Smartass.

My smart mouth has gotten me in considerable trouble over the years.

Here is an example:

In the early months of 1967, my friend Dave and I decided to move to San Francisco and become hippies.

On the way down, we stopped at his Aunt and Uncles place in Oroville, Cal. They put us up for the weekend.

We had just gotten out of High School (and were on our way to a different kind of high scool). He had a female cousin who was a senior, and it was Girls League night at the bowling lanes, so we went to say hi to his cousin and all the girls. There were all sorts of possibilities.

The next day, Dave's Aunt was in a traffic accident and wrenched her back, and could not drive. It was her day in the car pool to drive the girls home from school.

Would we mind giving the girls a ride home from school? Oh it would be a terreible burden to give a ride home to a car full of nubile young ladies , but we were just the guys for it.

We were driving Dave's taxi-cab yellow custom Plymouth. (Think Christine in hysteria)

We drove over to the school, and waited in the parking lot.

The Police pulled in behind us. The officer motioned that Dave should roll down his window. Dave complied.

"Did you know it is against the law in the State of California to loiter on School Property."

He had noticed that we were sporting Washington plates. That and the car itself made us mighty suspicious. Not to mention our long hair and paisley pants.

Well, me and my big smartass mouth replied "According to Webster's Dictionary, Loiter is defined as to consume time idly and without purpose. We, however, are here with a very specific purpose." Oh why do I do it? Some times I am my own worst enemy.

The officer turned several interresting shades of red, tending towards purple.

He informed us that we had better get out and not look back.

So I had to ask "You see that street over there? if we go park on the other side of the street, is that School Property, or public domain?"

He turned an interresting shade of puce and ordered us to leave NOW!!!

So we went and parked across the street and were immediately arrested. Handcuffs. Back of the patrol car. Fingerprinted. The big holding cell door went CLANG!. One call, wait four hours to get bailed out.

All charges were dropped and we pleaded probable cause so we couldn't sue for false arrest.

One of the girls we were to give a ride home was the Prosecuting Attorney's daughter, and he was NOT happy about her having to find an alternative ride home.

That is the extent of my arrest record.

And I could have probably avoided that except for my big smartass mouth.

Did I learn from this experience?

Hell no.

No 'Mo

L. called last night to lay out her latest list of woes. It is always the end of civilization as we know it.

Only last night Mrs a. just told her "Not our problem. You and N. had better figure out how to tale care of it, cause A. and I have resigned as the national bank and help agency. If N. is not capable of taking care of you and the kid, you are facing some hard choices. Leave N. Stay with N. and put the kid up for adoption. Put the kid in foster care. You need to figure it out."

I was proud of her.

Afterwards she asked "Am I a bad mom?"

I told her she was such a bad mom that I heard they were asking for her resignation fom the Mommies Union. They were taking her picture out of the mommies manual and burning all the back copies.

Until she realized I was pulling her leg, I thought she was going to belt me.

Who's a smart ass?

You talkin' to ME?

I in all seriousness, told her that if she continued to enable their bad behavion, THAT would make her a bad mom.

But all in all, things seen to be stabilizing.

New Arrival

I have a new grandson.

This is kinda bittersweet.

We found out third hand. Both Mrs A and the DIL work at the Credit Union. In fact DIL introduced me to Mrs A. So when the baby was born, all of DILs friends knew, and one of them forwarded the e-mail to Mrs A. who forwarded it to me.

This is all because Mrs A and DIL are feuding. Mrs A would make up in an instant, but DIL is a hater and grudge holder. My son has turned into a pussy-whipped spineless wimp. He never calls V any more and has not done anything with him since July.

What are they thinking?

I hope it is the most colic prone crying little snot ever was.

I am going to sneak down there and feed him Coca-Cola until his little head spins in circles.

I will buy him ridiculously loud and obnoxious toys.

Welcome to the world Elliot Alexander Warren, ever after to be known as E.

Best of luck to you.

Captions

I suppose I should put some words down to go with the pictures.

The Church has parking lots on three sides. The second view is part of the South lot, There were more bikes out further, but I liked this view of the bikes lined up in the first row. The first shot is of the East lot. I didn't include the West lot because I didn't have a shot I liked.

The two other shots are of bikes that Russ designed. They are both really nice and really original. Both won trophys in custom bike shows.

The Memorial service was very tastefully done, although I did not know Russ could walk on water and change water to wine.

I on the other hand, can change wine back into water.

The ride and Memorial Service were covered on the local news. It was SRO. The chapel seats 1500, but there were people standing in the aisles and along the walls, and in the foyer and outside. There was enough black leather to upholster a herd of Black Angus and enough chains and zippers to start a small hardware store.

There was a ton of food and drink for the reception, and NO ALCOHOL.

I saw badges and colors from a half a dozen different motorcycle clubs. Everyone got along just fine. If you are a people watcher, this was the place to be.

It was a little disconcerting to glance over at the 250 lb, black leather clad, bearded and tatooed colors wearing bad-ass looking biker to watch him wipe a tear from the corner of his eye.

I was glad to be there for my sis. She was pretty shaken up by the whole thing. She doesn't like being center stage.

At ease

smoke em' if you have em'

Memorial Pics